


Fragile Hearts

by Theblondebabbler



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-29
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2018-07-19 00:16:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7336912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theblondebabbler/pseuds/Theblondebabbler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hearts have always been known to be fragile, but they are never more vulnerable to harsh words than when they come from someone you love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A mess of a dreamer with the nerve to adore you

**Author's Note:**

> Yes there is angst, probably lots of it, don't hate me.

     Marinette knew something was wrong the minute she heard Adrien Agreste yelling. She couldn’t understand what he was saying, but she could tell he was **_mad_**. With her books in her arms she quietly pushed open the classroom door, hoping to quickly skirt around the altercation and figure out what was going on.

    “A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ME AND MARINETTE WILL NEVER EVER **_EVER_** HAPPEN.”

   **_THUD_**

  Adrien turned suddenly to the sound. He gasped when he saw Marinette standing there, her books scattered round her feet from where she had dropped them and her eyes welling with tears. The classroom all stared at her not knowing what to say. Alya tried to rush to her side and Adrien’s arm stretched out towards her. Marinette didn’t know what else to do but flee.

      “Marinette wait..”  Adrien tried to call her back, but she was already long gone.  She rushed down the hallway, tears streaming down her face. She ran and ran and ran, she didn’t stop until she reached the bakery.

     Under normal circumstances her parents would have scolded her for skipping school, but when they saw her face they simply helped her to her room and made her some tea.

    “Do you want us to see if Alya can come over after school?” Her mom asked patiently.

    “NO! I don’t want to see anybody…. I just want to be alone.” She stormed over to her bed and threw herself on it, sobs wracked her body for hours on end. When she finally mustered some self-control she forced her aching body off of the bed. She numbly walked around her room, taking down all of the homages to her crush.  Every picture, every poster, and eventually even her desktop background was removed. The schedule however, remained, she was going to need it to help her avoid Adrien as much as possible from now on.  Her phone was blowing up with calls, she didn’t want to hear any of it so she turned it off.

     At about Ten-O- clock there was a rapping at her balcony trapdoor. She opened it cautiously, but then relaxed when she saw it was Chat.

   “Don’t tell me, there’s an akuma I need protecting from? “ Chat shook his head and she sighed in relief. She crawled out on the balcony to talk to him. 

   “So I know someone who goes to your school and I heard about what happened. “

    “Oh god, my humiliation knows no end.”

     “I know, it’s pretty awful the way they treated you .I just wanted you to know that you didn’t deserve to be talked about that way. And the people defending you are doing their best to make sure that it never happens again.” Marinette nodded, feeling calmer and more settled than she did before. Chat yawned and stretched.

       “I wish I could stay longer princess but I desperately need sleep, but don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything.” Marinette looked at him skeptically.

      “Don’t worry, it’s not my civilian number, Ladybug would have my head if I outed myself like that.” Marinette giggled before sending him off with a tight hug and thanks. She slowly made her way back to her bed, where she laid until eventually, she slipped into sleep. She tossed and turned all night, her mind plagued with nightmares.


	2. Your wildfire lies and your humiliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when Marinette thought it couldn't get any worse, she remembered Chloe existed

   The next day Marinette walked into class looking like the dead. Her classmates swarmed around her with the intention of offering comfort or support. She held her hands out in front of her as she fended them off.

   "I don't want to speak to  ** _anyone_**   today. If a single person so much as  ** _breathes_** in my direction I am going to lose it." Her voice came out i such a vicious growl that everyone immediately backed off. She pointedly avoided Adrien's stare, his shoulders hunched over and, to Marinette it seemed as if he was being petulant about the whole thing.

    Alya looked over in concern, but promptly returned to staring at her notebook when her friend glared at her. She sat down with a huff, trying to maintain a sense of pride she stared forward at the board, waiting for class to begin. And that's when Chloe arrived, back from being sick the day before. It may not have been such a big deal, but the teacher was not in the room, and Chloe had free reign.

   "Marinette Dupain-Cheng or in other words  _common whore_. What? your pathetic attempt for a pass at Adrien wasn't enough? You had to throw yourself all over Chat Noir too?" She tossed a glossy gossip tabloid onto her desk, the front page showing a picture of her hugging Chat Noir from last night with headlines telling of an elicit affair. Marinette shrugged, her patience was gone and she wasn't going to back down without a fight.

   "Alright _Chloe Bourgious"_ She began, acid dripping from her voice

     "Or should I say _massive waste of everyone's time_ , you want to go there? Fine, let's go there. For one I find it absolutely laughable that you would try to use a sleazy rag with no credibility to phase me. You wanna talk about pathetic attempts Chloe? Alright well I do have one thing over you in that department,  ** _I_** at least now when to back off. What's really pathetic is watching you drape yourself over Adrien 24/7 while he tries to pry your perfectly manicured nails off of him. I mean puh-lease a guy has  ** _never_** been so obviously  _ **not**_ into a girl before, and you still can't take the hint. And now here you are trying to take out all your issues on me and make me seem like the pathetic one.  _ **HA!**_ It's not my fault that no one wants to be around you because of the fact that you're insufferable. "

   Chloe fumed, never had someone tried to stand up to her like that. Anyone else would have backed down, but Chloe was feeling especially cruel that day.

   "Ha! Even if that were true I still have a better chance than you with Adrien. I've got money, power, and looks. You? You're just a nobody with no style, no money and you certainly don't have the  ** _looks._** There is absolutely nothing attractive about you, you don't have a chance with  ** _anyone_** let alone Adrien. You're going to shrivel up and die alone, and I'll be there to laugh at your funeral." Right after that the teacher walked in, and Marinette returned her steely gaze to the front. 

   Once school was over Marinette headed straight home. She stood in front of the mirror that night, the confidence from earlier long gone. She tried not to let Chloe's words affect her, but it was no use. She felt worthless, and it wan't the first time she had felt that way either. She had never liked her body, she felt it was to gangly and thin. And it didn't help that Chloe had ragged on her appearance since day 1. The taunts swirled in her ind until she felt trapped in it. God, she was so  _stupid_ , how could she have ever even hoped for Adrien to like her. The only person she had ever had a chance with was Nathaniel, and he had gotten over her after the Evillustrator incident.  Chloe was probably right, she  _was_ going to end up alone.

   There was no visit from Chat that night, and she ended up going to bed feeling worse than she had the night before. Needless to say she didn't get any better sleep either. Her nightmares rang of loneliness.

   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First person to guess the pattern in this fic in the comments gets a free one-shot


	3. The world moves on, another day, another drama.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette can't catch a break, and it keeps getting worse.

    Marinette began the next day determined to be quiet, to stay out of sight. Tired of the drama, she resolved to hopefully have.... whatever was going on... blow over. She missed the days of her anonymity, cursing herself for allowing herself to get pushed into the limelight. She craved attention and recognition but... not like this, she'd prefer being a nobody to this. She was determined to stay quiet and calm, quiet and calm, quiet and......

  _" **AHHHHH"**_

The screaming of her best friend was unmistakable, Marinette rushed to see what was going on, only to be blocked by Juleka and Rose. 

  "You don't want to go any further" Rose stated sadly, Juleka nodded in agreement. Marinette huffed and pushed past them. Down the hallway she found Alya standing stock still, rage clearly boiling beneath the surface. Marinette followed her gaze to see  **WHORE** spray painted on her locker. 

  "I am going to find who did t-" Alya was cut off by Marinette "Don't bother, don't feed into this nonsense. I'm tired of the drama and if we stop participating it has to end eventually right? So can you please do me a favor and pretend everything is normal?" Alya takes a second to breathe and then nods silently. Marinette puts her things in her locker and walks away silently with Alya. 

  They could hear the chatter before they reached the classroom.  _Please, no more._ Marinette silently begged Her plea must have gone unheard, because the moment they entered the classroom it was chaos again. Her chair had been painted as well.  ** _SLUT_** scrawled in bright red. Still determined and way to proud to break down in front of class again, she sat down and stared pointedly at the blackboard. She spent the entire day ignoring everyone except Alya and Mrs. Bustier.  It was hard to ignore the whispers that persisted the entire day, but Marinette remained determined. 

 When the last bell rang the best friends waited for everyone else to leave, when they had all left the room Mrs. Bustier provided a bucket of soap and a cleaning brush per Marinette's request. She began scrubbing at the paint on her chair, She was so concentrated on her task that she didn't notice Adrian walking in, talking to Alya and then walking over to her, she had no idea he was there until he gingerly took the cleaning tools from her hands. When she saw who the helper was she looked away silently. 

  "Marinette" he began "I'm really sorry I tried to tell them that there was nothing going on with us, but they wouldn't-" 

   "Spare me Agreste, the last thing I need right now is for you to keep telling me over and over that I have no chance with you. Save your breath because I already KNOW, you don't need to rub salt in the wound.' Adrien was stunned silent and Marinette was gone before anyone else could get a word in."

  She went to the park, needing to be somewhere that wasn't affected by the drama. She gathered her thoughts and headed home, arriving just as the sun was starting to set, she silently passed by her parents and went to her room, and then her balcony. Chat startled her by jumping down onto the balcony, chocolates in hand. 

  "If you need to talk about it, I'm here to listen." He began " But if not, will you still accept some time with a friend?" Marinette nodded. They played vidoe games for most of the evening. She sent Chat off just before bedtime, promising to call him if things got any worse. 

Luckily, she did not have any dreams that night. 


End file.
